Wrap-around-type folding box construction



M. l. WILLIAMSON 2,713,450

wRAP-ARoUND-TYPE FOLDING Box CONSTRUCTION v 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

MARSHALL f. W/L/AMsofv ATTORNEY BY mm July 19, 1955 Fild DSG. 14, 1950 M. l. WILLIAMSON WRAP-AROUND-TYPE FOLDING BOX CONSTRUCTION July 19, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Deo. 14, 1950 AAL.

A TTORJVEY July 19, 1955 M. WILLIAMSON 2,713,450

' WRAP-AROUND-TYPE FOLDING BOX CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 14, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheen 3 Q l \\`|N l 21.20

\\ LL, J

INVENTOR.

MARSHALL f. W/UA M50/v BY #vw-MJL M Lul. ATTORNEYl United States Patent O WRAP-ARUND-TYPE FOLDING BOX CNSTRUCTION Marshall I. llilliamson, New Haven, Conn., assignor, by mesne assignments, to National Folding Box Company, Incorporated, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of. New York Application December 14, 1950, Serial No. 200,743

3 Claims. (Cl. 229-40) This invention relates to improvements in folding boxes made from foldable sheet material, such as paperboard, box board, or other foldable sheet stock.

The invention is more particularly directed to the type of boxes which are designed not only for the purpose of protecting the box contents in shipping, handling, storing and selling, but whose secondary and equally important purpose is to provide a visual display of the packaged merchandise.

The idea of visual packaging is of course not basically novel and several types of boxes are in existence which display the box contents to some extent.

There are Iirstly the so-called window boxes in which a window is cut into one or several wall panels, so that a portion of the box contents can be inspected without opening of the box. These window boxes either have an open window in which event the removed stock is usually discarded as Waste material, or the windows are in the form of hinged flaps, in which event the window may be opened and closed.

A second class of boxes for the visual packaging of merchandise are the trays, which, in a sense, are folding boxes which do not entirely enclose the contents, but usually are open along one side, as the name tray also suggests. A great percentage of the trays presently in commercial use are overwrapped with a transparent sheet material which, however, affords little mechanical protection for the box contents along the open side of the tray.

Certain types of merchandise lend themselves to visual packaging by overwrapping with a sheet of transparent material. The resultant package cannot properly be called a box, since no box blank is used for enclosing the merchandise, but the shape of the overwrap is deter* mined by the shape of the wrapped article itself. In the finished package the packaged article is visible substantially in its entirety, but its appearance is marred where, due to the creasing of the sheet material, several thicknesses of the sheet material lie on top of one another, and the mechanical protection of the Wrapped article is relatively limited due to the thinness of the wrapping material.

The invention provides an improved form of folding box which entirely surrounds the packaged merchandise, yet provides two windows on opposite sides of the box exposing the packaged merchandise` to viewexcept for narrow marginal portions along which the merchandise is grasped and held in the box. The windows are not formed by the removal of stock, but bya unique Way of assembling the box blank around the merchandise in what may be termed a wrap-around manner.

Packages embodying the present invention have an unusually wide adaptability to the packaging of merchandise of various shapes and forms and provide mechanical protection in adegree not equaled by visual packages of the above mentioned types.

For example, merchandise of` rather unusual shapes', such as decorative bottles, may be packaged in such a Way that the shape of the bottle is not only not concealed, but emphasized. The improved folding box affords mechanical protection of rather unusual order, in that vulnerable points of packaged contents are protected by more than a single thickness of board. Even along the open sides of the package, the contents are protected in such a way that packaged bottles, for example, may be stacked in line with the boxes arranged in window-towindow relationship without the danger of one bottle making glass-to-glass contact with the bottle in the adjacent box.

By the same token a packaged bottle may be placed flat on a glass top table with the box in such a position that one window is adjacent the glass top. Even in that position the box prevents glass-to-glass Contact.

A particular feature of the boxes embodying the present invention is that labels and inscriptions on the box contents may be read, thereby making it unnecessary to provide further labels or printing on the box itself repeating information on the packaged contents.

Merchandise of irregular shape may also be packaged in such a way that an unusual amount of protection is given the merchandise Without concealing the merchandise itself and in such a manner that the merchandise may be inspected, even be handled, without opening or destruction of the package. Merchandise of rather odd shapes may be securely packaged in an entirely novel way by grasping certain portions of greater strength, while freely suspending other portions of less strength. For example, collapsible tubes for pastes or fluids may be packaged by virtually suspending the tube by its screw top at one end and supporting the folded over end of the tube at the other end.

Folding boxes incorporating the present invention also lend themselves to the packaging of merchandise in multiple. For example, a plurality of individual articles, such as rolls of candy, may be packaged by enclosing the individual articles side by side in such a way that engaging fianges of the box grasp the ends of each of the articles.

As will become apparent from the Vfollowing detailed description, the adaptability of folding boxes embodying the present invention to the packaging of conventional and non-conventional articles is practicallyunlimited.

The various objects, features and advantages of this invention will appear more fully from the detailed description which follows, accompanied by drawings, showing, for the purpose of illustration, preferred embodiments and applications of the invention. The invention also consists in certain new and original features of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the characteristic features of this invention which are believed to be novel will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, its objects and advantages, and the manner in which it may be carried out may be better understood by refer'- ring to the following description taken in connection withV the accompanying drawings forming a part of it in which:

. Figure l is a plan View a flat blank from which a box embodying'the present invention may be made;

Figure 2 is a plan View of the blank after an initial folding operation prior to shaping into box form;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a box for packaging a bottle, the box being made from the blank shown in Figures l and 2; l

Figure 4 is a section taken along plane 4-4- 4-4 of Figure 3; p i Figure 5 is a plan view of a iiat blankof rnodiiiedv construction;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the blank shown in Figure 5 after an initial folding operation;

Figure 7 shows a box for packaging a collapsible tube, the box being made from the blank shown in Figures and 6;

Figure 8 is a vertical section. through the box shown in Figure 7, the section being taken in plane 8-8-8 in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a plan view of a blank of somewhat modified configuration;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a box made from the blank shown in Figure 9, the box being designed for packaging a flashlight; and

Figure l1 is a perspective view of a box of the general construction shown in Figure 3, but modified by addition of several fold lines for the purpose of snugly grasping contents of unusual shape.

in the following description and in the claims various details will be identified by specific names for convenience. The names, however, are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit. Cor responding reference characters refer to corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings accompanying, and forming part of this specification, certain specific disclosure of the invention is made for the purpose of explanation of broader aspects of the invention, but it is understood that the details may be modified in various respects without departure from the principles of the invention, and that the invention may be applied to other structures than the ones shown.

The blank A shown in Figure l may be cut and scored, in multiple, from rolls or sheets of paperboard, cardboard, or other flexible sheet material. Only one side of the board need be imprinted or otherwise decoratively r finished, since only one side of the blank is exposed to view in the finished box. The blank comprises a series of enclosing wall panels 11, 12, 13, and 14 of substantially equal width. The wall panels are articulated to one another in end-to-end relationship along box corner fold lines 15, 16 and 17. A tuck panel 18 is articulated to the wall panel 14 along a box corner fold line 19.

Flange panels 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25, 26, 27, 28, and. 29 are articulated to opposite edges of the wall panels along the side fold lines 30 and 31.

The flange panels are articulated to one another in endto-end relationship along gusset folds 32, 33, 34, and 36, 37, 38, and 39. Each gusset fold comprises two crease lines running from the end of a corner fold line across the flange panel stock. These crease lines are numbered 40, 41; 42, 43; 44, 45; 46, 47; 48, 49; 50, 51', 52, 53; and 54, 55. For reasons which hereinafter will become apparent the crease lines of the gusset folds are preferably so laid out, that they form an angle with respect to the respective corner fold lines running towards them, as is also clearly apparent from the drawing.

The wall panels may be provided with apertures through which portions of the box contents may protrude, one such aperture being shown in the panel 12 at 56.

The ends of the flange panel are preferably cut at an angle as shown at 57 and S8 to lit corner folds in the finished box, as will later appear.

The blank A may be formed into box shape substan tially as follows:

The blank is first folded along the side fold lines 30 and 31 to fold the flange panels over the respective wall panels to which they are articulated. This is conveniently done by passing the blank through a folding machine preferably in the direction indicated by the arrow 59 with the tuck panel 18 leading and the wall panel 11 trailing.

The folded blank is shown in Figure 2 and is ready for assembly or folding about box contents which in the illustrated example is a bottle 60, but obviously could be any other piece or pieces of merchandise occupying substantially the same space as the bottle 60.

The assembly of the box blank about the bottle is most easily accomplished by first spreading the flange panels 21 and 26 from the overlapping position in which they are shown in Figure 2 into a position substantially normal with respect to the wall panel 12 from which they extend. The bottle cap 61 is then inserted through the aperture 56 causing the flange panels 21 and 26 to overlie the sides of the bottle. Creasing of the box blank along the corner fold lines 15 and 16 then causes the gussets at the corners to form in such a way that certain flange panels remain in folded over position, thus forming double thickness side walls at 11 and 13. The remaining flange panels 23 and 28 are upright with respect to the wall panel and grasp the box contents at the bottom,

thereby positively retaining the box contents in the Cil box and, in addition, forming a decorative border 'or frame about the box contents with the flange panels 21, 25 grasping the top. Since the crease lines bordering the gusset folds are not in line, but extend at an angle with respect to, the corner fold lines towards which they run, the upright flange panels have a certain inward bias thereby grasping the box contents snugly instead of bellying outwardly as they would, if the crease lines were not arranged at an angle.

The flange panels 24 and 29 overlie the tuck panel 18 and form a double thickness tuck flap therewith. This tuck flap is insertable into the space between the endmost wall panel 11 and its flange panels 20 and 25. The tuck flap 18, 24, 29 has a snug telescoping fit with the ond of the double thick box wall 11, 20, 25. This telescoping fit serves a double function of first frictionally and securely connecting the ends of the box blank together to complete the box assembly as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Secondly, the telescoping fit imparts a considerable amount of rigidity and resistance to twisting to the completed box. This feature is of particular importance in instances where a plurality of units or pieces of merchandise are packaged in a single box.

The tuck closure is illustrated in section in Figure 4. The necessity for cutting back the edges of the box blank at 57 and 58 is easily understood, if it is realized that the tuck flap 18, 24, 29 meets the end wall 11, 20, 25 with two gussets at the corner fold line 19. The cut back portions 57 and 58 lie adjacent the gusset folds at 47 and which form an angle with the corner fold line 19.

As hereinbefore indicated, boxes embodying the present invention are adaptable to a wide variety of uses, frequently resulting in packages which enclose merchandise in a rather unusual way. Figures 5 and 8 illustrate a blank and box for packaging a collapsible tube for a paste or a fluid, by virtually suspending the tube within the box, as contrasted to the conventional method of packaging in which the tube rests in a box on its collapsible wall, which is its weakest portion.

The flat box blank B is shown in Figure 5 and comprises enclosing wall panels 62, 63, 64 and 65 articulated to one another in end-to-end relationship along box corner fold lines 66, 67, 68. The corner fold line 68 is interrupted by a flat U-cut 69 producing a short tongue 70 on the wall panel 64 resulting in a self opening aperture in the wall panel at the fold line 68, when the blank is folded at the fold line 68.

A tuck panel 71 is articulated to the wall panel 65 along a box corner fold line 72.

Flange panels 73, 74, 75, 76, 77 and 78, 79, 80, 81 and 82 are articulated to opposite edges of the wall panels along side fold lines 83 and 84.

The flange panels are articulated to one another in end-to-end relationship along gusset folds 85, 86, 87, 88 and 89, 90, 91 and 92. Each gusset fold comprises two crease lines running from the end of a corner fold line across the flange panel stock. These crease lines are numbered 93, 94; 95, 96; 97, 98; 99, 100; 101, 102; 103, 104; 10S, 106; 107, 108. The crease lines of the gusset folds form angles with respect to the corner fold lines towards which they run. The side edges of the flange panels 74 and 79 are recessed at 109 and 110 for grasping the cap of the collapsible tube as will later appear. The ends of the flange panels 73 and 78 are preferably cut at an angle as shown at 111 and 112 to provide freedom for the gussets 88 and 92 in the assembled box.

A fold-over llap 113 is articulated to the wall panel 62 at a corner fold line 114 and a tuck tab 11S is articulated to the fold-over ilap 113 along a fold line 116.

The blank B may be formed into box shape substantially as follows:

The blank is first folded along the side fold lines 83 and 84 to fold the ange panels over the respective wall panels to which they are articulated. This is conveniently done by passing the blank through a folding machine preferably in the direction indicated by an arrow 117 with a tuck panel 71 leading and a tuck tab 115 trailing. The folded blank is shown in Figure 6 and is ready for assembly or folding about a tube to be packaged. Obviously other articles adapted to be supported double thick side walls imparting great rigidity to the n box. The flanges 76 and 81 of the bottom pannel 65 assume a slanted position and grasp the flat end of the tube between them as shown in Figure 8. The tuck panel 71 with its flanges 77 and 82 form a top flap insertable into the space between the wall panel 62 and its flanges 73 and 78. The fold-over flap 113 is folded ove the outside of the bottom 65 and the tuck tab 115 is inserted into the aperture or slit formed by the cut 69. The completed box B is shown in Figures 7 and 8. It securely supports the tube, has a great amount of strength and furnishes an attractive display for the tube permitting printing on the tube to be read, since practically the entire tube is exposed to View.

The angularity of the crease lines bordering the gusset folds may of course be varied to produce any desired degree of inclination of the box contents engaging the flange panels, In the box shown in Figure 3 opposite liange panels 21, 23, and 26, 28 are substantially normal with respect to the top and bottom panels of the box, with a slight inward bias. In the box shown in Figures 7 and 8 the angle between the box contents engaging flange panels and the box walls to which they are articulated is less to suit the shape of the box contents. Considerable latitude exists in the selection of the proper angles for the gusset crease lines. ever, it will be observed, the gusset crease lines form an angle with respect to the box corner fold lines towards which they run.

Figures 9 and l0 illustrate a modification of the blank B of Figure 5, specifically designed for packaging a flashlight. The blank C is shown in Figure 9 and corresponds in major respects to blank B of Figure 5. It is therefore not necessary to describe the blank in detail, but it will suice to point out certain modifications.

The top panel 163 has an aperture 120 through which the lens of the flashlight 121 is visible. The edges 209 and 210 of the flange panels 174 and 179 are cut back to provide a relatively narrow engaging flange in the finished box. The angles of the crease lines 193, 194, 195 and 196, as well as the angles of the crease lines 201, 202, 293 and 204 are selected to provide for less taper of the flange panels than in the box shown in Figure 7. The bottom flanges 176 and 181 are recessed at their outer edges at 122 and 123 in such a way as to provide a substantially round aperture in the pyramidal bottom In all instances, howf Cfr 6 flange structure for reception of the bottom end of the flashlight. It is thus seen that changes of a few dimensions and angles adapt the box for the packaging of an entirely dilferent type of merchandise.

The box shown in Figure 11 may be considered a modification of the box shown in Figure 3. The box structure includes auxiliary crease lines 124, 125, 126 and 127, 128 and 129 in the top and bottom ange panels for producing a snug lit between the box contents represented by a polygonal bottle 130 and the flange panels.

The invention thus provides a novel and highly adaptable type of package which may be constructed from a surprisingly small amount of board, is highly versatile and serves not only as a protective enclosure, but also as a decorative display box. The illustrated examples show certain uses of the novel and improved box, but it is apparent that the shapes, sizes and types of merchandise which may be packaged in the novel box are numerous and that the basic structure hereinbefore described may be adapted to other forms of merchandise by simple changes. For this reason various modifications, additions, omissions, substitutions and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit and essence of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A folding box of the wrap-around type for the visual packaging of contents, the box comprising enclosing wall panels extending about the contents, said wall panels including terminal wall panels joined together at the box closure and intermediate wall panels between the terminal wall panels, the wall panels including, specifically, a bottom wall panel, a pair of side wall panels, and a top wall panel, said wall panels being of substantially equal width and being articulated to one another along box corner fold lines; substantially frusto-pyramidal box contents grasping structures extending from two opposed wall panels inwardly of the box, each of said structures comprising two ange panels articulated to the said opposed wall panels along their side edges which side edges constitute flange base lines, said flange panels constituting two opposite sides of the pyramid frustum and forming an angle of less than degrees with the wall panel to which they are articulated, said flange panels having side edges forming an angle of less than 90 degrees with said flange base lines, and substantially triangular gusset panels articulated to the side edges of said flange panels, said gusset panels also constituting portions of the pyramid frustum; flange panels articulated to the remaining wall panels along their opposite side edges, said last named flange panels being folded flat upon the wall panels to which they are articulated, the side edges of the fiat-folded flange panels being articulated to said gusset panels.

2. A folding box of the wrap-around type for the visual packaging of contents, the box comprising enclosing wall panels extending about the contents, said wall panels including terminal wall panels joined together at the box closure and intermediate wall panels between the terminal wall panels, the wall panels including, specifically, a bottom panel, a pair of side wall panels, and a top wall panel having an aperture cut therein through which a portion of the box contents, for example a bottle neck, may project, said wall panels being of substantially equal width and being articulated to one another along box corner fold lines; substantially frusto-pyramidal box contents grasping structures extending from said top wall panel and from said bottom wall panel inwardly of the box, each of said structures comprising two ange panels articulated to the respective wall panels along ange base lines which also constitute the opposite side edges of the top and bottom wall panels, said flange panels constituting two opposite sides of the pyramid frustum and forming an angle of less than 90 degrees with the wall panels to which they are articulated, said liange panels having side edges forming an angle of less than 90 degrees with said flange base lines, and substantially triangular gusset panels articulated to the side edges of said llange panels, said gusset panels also constituting portions of the pyramid frustum; ange panels articulated to the side wall panels along their opposite side edges, said last named ange panels being folded lat upon the side wall panels to which they are articulated, the side edges of the flat-folded flange panels being articulated to said gusset panels.

3. A folding box of the wrap-around type for the visual packaging of contents, the box comprising enclosing wall panels extending about the contents, said wall panels including terminal wall panels joined together at the box closure and intermediate wall panels between the terminal wall panels, the wall panels, including, specifically, a bottom panel, a pair of side wall panels, and a top Wall panel, said wall panels being of substantially equal width and being articulated to one another along box corner fold lines; substantially frusto-pyramidal box contents grasping structures extending from said top wall panel and from said bottom Wall panel inwardly of the boX, each of said structures comprising two flange panels articulated to the respective wall panels along flange base lines which also constitute the opposite side edges of the top and bottom wall panels, said dange panels constituting two opposite sides of the pyramid frustum and forming an angle of less than 9() degrees with the wall panels to which they are articulated, said ange panels having side edges forming an angle of less than 90 degrees with said ilange base lines, and substantially triangular gusset panels articulated to the side edges of said flange panels, said gusset panels also constituting portions of the pyramid frustum; llange panels articulated to the side wall panels along their opposite side edges, said last named ange panels being folded at upon the side wall panels to which they are articulated, the side edges of the flat-folded flange panels being articulated to said gusset panels, one of said terminal wall panels having folded-back lange panels, said closure comprising a tuck panel articulated to the other terminal wall panel, ange panels articulated to the side edges of said tuck panels, and gusset panels articulated between said last named ilange panels and the flange panels of said other terminal wall panels, said tuck panel with its folded-back. ange panels being inserted between said one terminal wall panel and its folded-back side panels.

References Sitcd in the tile of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 574,894 Ferry Jan. 12, 1897 1,587,338 Sandor June 1, 1926 1,833,419 Grossen Nov. 24, 1931 1,971,197 Ottinger Aug. 21, 1934 2,033,526 Kinkenon Mar. 10, 1936 2,359,297 Brogden Oct. 3,1944 2,395,558 Lighter Feb. 26, 1946 2,398,797 Meyer et al. Apr. 23, 1946 2,548,985 Lighter Apr. 17, 1951 2,610,781 Metzger Sept. 16,1952 

